Setting

Mrs C Hopkins and Mrs T Empson Headteacher and Associate Headteacher Anglesey Primary Academy Clarence Street Burton-on-Trent DE14 3LG

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Special measures monitoring inspection of Anglesey Primary Academy

Following my visit with Heather Simpson, Her Majesty’s Inspector and Andrew Beckett, Additional Inspector to your academy on 22–23 April 2015, I write on behalf of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills to confirm the inspection findings. Thank you for the help you gave during the inspection and for the time you made available to discuss the actions which have been taken since the academy’s previous monitoring inspection.

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Special measures monitoring inspection of Anglesey Primary Academy

The inspection was the fourth monitoring inspection since the academy became subject to special measures following the inspection which took place in December 2013. The full list of the areas for improvement identified during that inspection is set out in the annex to this letter. The monitoring inspection report is attached.

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Special measures monitoring inspection of Anglesey Primary Academy

Having considered all the evidence I am of the opinion that at this time:  The academy is making reasonable progress towards the removal of special measures.  The school may appoint newly qualified teachers before the next monitoring inspection. I am of the opinion that the academy may appoint NQTs.  The academy may appoint two newly qualified teachers (NQTs).

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Special measures monitoring inspection of Anglesey Primary Academy

This letter and monitoring inspection report will be published on the Ofsted website. I am copying this letter and the monitoring inspection report to the Secretary of State, the DfE Academies Advisers Unit, the Chair of the Management Board and the Director of Children’s Services for Staffordshire.

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Her Majesty’s Inspector

Serco Inspections Colmore Plaza 20 Colmore Circus Queensway Birmingham B4 6AT T 0300 123 1231 Text Phone: 0161 618 8524 enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk www.ofsted.gov.uk Direct T 0121 679 9169 Direct email : mathew.mitchell@serco.com

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place in December 2013

  Improve teaching so that is it good or outstanding throughout the academy by making sure that teachers:  use their knowledge of pupils to plan work at the right level of difficulty so that all pupils can make good or better progress  improve the quality of marking and give pupils time to respond to it and improve their work, so that they are helped to make better progress  ensure that judgements about pupils’ achievement in writing, reading and mathematics are accurate.    Raise achievement in reading, writing and mathematics by:   increasing the opportunities pupils have to read to adults  using information about pupils’ reading abilities to plan more effective teaching sessions  providing more opportunities for pupils to read in all subjects including English  ensuring that pupils are taught the basic skills of spelling, punctuation and grammar  using practical resources well to improve pupils’ basic mathematical

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place in December 2013

understanding.    Improve the impact of leadership and management by ensuring that:  senior leaders and governors frequently check that agreed actions are having the required impact on the achievement of different groups of pupils  the academy’s behaviour management policies and practices have a strong impact on improving pupils’ behaviour  rates of attendance continue to improve so that they are at least average  governors extend their training to equip themselves with essential skills to challenge academy leaders effectively and hold the academy to account.

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Evidence

Inspectors observed the academy’s work, scrutinised documents and met with the headteacher, associate headteacher and deputy headteacher. Inspectors also met with subject leaders for English and mathematics and spoke with the leader of the early years and the leader who oversees provision and progress for disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs. Inspectors listened to some pupils read and looked at the work in pupils’ books. They spoke with groups of pupils and informal discussions took place with pupils, staff and parents. Inspectors also met with the Chair of the Management Board, who is a Regional Director of Education for the Academies Enterprise Trust (AET).

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Context

Since the last monitoring inspection, four teachers have left the academy. One new part-time teacher and three long-term supply teachers have joined the academy. One teacher has changed her role and is now the Library Centre Manager. Two additional lunchtime supervisors have been appointed. Two new members have joined the management board and three members have left.

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Achievement of pupils at the school

Increasing proportions of pupils are now making expected and better than expected progress in reading, writing and mathematics in all key stages. However, in some classes and subjects progress remains slow because of continuing weaknesses in teaching. For some pupils, particularly in Years 5 and 6, the recent acceleration in progress is not yet sufficient to make up for previous underachievement and so their attainment remains low.

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Achievement of pupils at the school

Leaders and teachers are doing more to ensure that the most-able pupils make good progress. For example, in Year 6 the most-able pupils are given additional challenges in lessons and receive extra teaching which means that more of them are on track to reach the higher levels by the time they leave the academy.

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Achievement of pupils at the school

In reading, more pupils now have a reading age which is at or above their chronological age (their age in years and months). This is a result of a continuing focus on reading which means that:  pupils are given regular opportunities for reading throughout the day in different lessons  pupils are rewarded with badges for reading a good number of books  the library provides an inviting and attractive environment which encourages pupils to choose from a good range of books  parents are welcome to come into the academy in the morning and visit the library with their children or read with younger pupils in class  younger pupils are encouraged to apply their developing knowledge of phonics (the links between letters and sounds) when reading unfamiliar words  pupils are given reading books that are correctly matched to their reading ability  dual language books are provided for pupils at early stages in learning to speak

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Achievement of pupils at the school

English  pupils are encouraged to read regularly at home and most do  teachers are receiving training which is helping them to teach reading skills more effectively.

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Achievement of pupils at the school

The work in pupils’ books indicates that in the past, leaders have not ensured that a broad range of subjects are taught in sufficient detail. This means that progress in subjects including science, technology, history and geography has been slower than it should be across the academy. A new curriculum has been introduced recently. It is too early for the impact of this to be fully evaluated but early signs indicate that an appropriate range of subjects is being taught in more depth.

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The quality of teaching

Teaching is improving overall. However, continuing instability in staffing and difficulties in recruitment have had an impact and the quality of teaching varies considerably between classes.

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The quality of teaching

Where learning is less effective, teachers do not routinely check on pupils’ understanding and progress during lessons. In some lessons teachers’ explanations lack clarity and occasionally are inaccurate. Tasks are not always closely matched to pupils’ ability or previous learning and so are sometimes too hard or too easy. This limits pupils’ progress.

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The quality of teaching

Although inconsistencies remain, there are now more examples of effective learning. For example, in Year 6 mathematics lessons, teachers questioned pupils effectively to check their understanding. This enabled teachers to identify misconceptions which were immediately addressed so that pupils made good gains in their learning. In Reception classes, children enjoyed making gingerbread people and participated in a range of linked activities which were effective in helping them to develop their skills in reading, writing and mathematics.

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The quality of teaching

Teaching assistants are usually deployed effectively and have a clear understanding of their role in the lesson. Many provide effective support for pupils at early stages of learning to speak English and those who are disabled or have special educational needs.

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The quality of teaching

Teachers now regularly work with colleagues from the academy and from other schools to check the accuracy of their own assessments of pupils’ achievement. As a result, most teachers in Key Stages 1 and 2 are able to accurately assess the standard of pupils’ work.

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The quality of teaching

The quality of marking has continued to improve and there are now more examples of teachers giving helpful feedback and pupils using this to improve their work. Marking in subjects other than English and mathematics is not as effective.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

The improvement in pupils’ attendance noted at the time of the previous monitoring inspection has not been sustained. In the last term, attendance rates have declined and attendance is currently well below the average nationally. The number of pupils who are persistently absent has increased. Senior leaders and the management board recognise that they must take urgent action to reduce absence and ensure that all parents understand the importance of good attendance for their children’s education.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

During the inspection, inspectors were impressed by pupils’ courtesy and friendliness. Pupils move around the academy safely and calmly, and at lunchtimes they play and socialise sensibly together and participate in a good range of activities. Pupils told inspectors that new activities and games make break times more enjoyable.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

In lessons, most pupils are attentive, follow their teacher’s instructions carefully and apply themselves well to their work. Occasionally, a few pupils are restless or inattentive when teachers’ explanations or the work set for them do not maintain their interest or are not at the right level.

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The quality of leadership in and management of the school

The headteacher and associate headteacher are continuing to drive improvements in the quality of teaching and pupils’ achievement. They remain resolute in their determination that the academy continues to improve so that it becomes good.

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The quality of leadership in and management of the school

Senior leaders regularly collect information about teachers’ assessments of pupils’ progress and attainment. They compare the progress of different classes and groups of pupils and use this information to identify and tackle underachievement. However, the headteachers are not always able to give a succinct summary of this information, or show how it compares to standards and progress measures nationally. This is most notable in their analysis of progress in the Reception classes and Key Stage 1.

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The quality of leadership in and management of the school

The systems used for monitoring the quality of teaching and pupils’ achievement, and for recording the findings and planning actions, are now more thorough. However, they are overly complex and some work is duplicated. Leaders rightly intend to simplify these systems. Subject leaders and other middle leaders are continuing to develop their skills. They are increasingly involved in checking the quality of teaching and pupils’ progress and so have a clear understanding of strengths and weaknesses within their areas of responsibility.

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The quality of leadership in and management of the school

Although relatively new to her post, the early years leader has made a number of improvements based on her evaluation of children’s current achievement and their learning needs. For example, there are now more opportunities for children to write for different purposes. As a result, some children are now able to write simple stories in cursive handwriting with correctly punctuated sentences. The early years leader is now working with other Reception class teachers to improve the range of evidence gathered to support accurate assessment across the areas of learning.

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The quality of leadership in and management of the school

Subject leaders for mathematics and English are using information about pupils’ progress more effectively to identify and tackle underachievement. For example, the leader responsible for English has analysed information about pupils’ reading ages and has used this to target additional support for pupils and classes who are not making enough progress. The leader responsible for mathematics has introduced a new mathematics policy, which promotes a consistent approach to planning and the teaching of calculation methods. It also focuses on the development of pupils’ rapid recall of number facts. These improvements are contributing to pupils’ improving achievement in mathematics.

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The quality of leadership in and management of the school

The management board usually provides an appropriate level of challenge to the academy’s leaders and its members are well informed about the academy’s developing strengths and priorities for improvement. However, the board has not done enough to ensure that poor attendance is challenged and tackled effectively. Minutes of meetings record when policies have been agreed but there is little evidence that these have been discussed or questioned to ensure that they are appropriate. The management board takes its safeguarding responsibilities seriously. For example, it ensures that all staff receive regular training so that they are aware of their roles in keeping pupils safe.

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External support

The Regional Director of Education for the academy’s sponsor (AET) visits the academy regularly and so has an accurate understanding of its strengths and weaknesses. AET has commissioned support from a range of providers that is helping leaders to make the necessary improvements.

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